American Society of Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE’s vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward building a better quality of life. Its world headquarters is in Reston, Virginia.

ASCE was founded in New York City on November 5, 1852 when twelve engineers met at the offices of the Croton Aqueduct and formed the American Society of Civil Engineers and Architects. ASCE was the first national engineering society created in the United States.

As part of understanding the history of civil engineering and promoting the civil engineering profession, a survey of the historic accomplishments of civil engineers is continually conducted by ASCE members. Such reviews of civil engineering accomplishments have produced various lists of the notable categories and projects of the profession.

The society canvassed its members in 1999 to identify the 10 civil engineering achievements that had the greatest positive impact on life in the 20th century. They chose to recognize broad categories of achievements rather than individual projects:

* Airport design and development, as exemplified by the Kansai International Airport
* Dams, as exemplified by Hoover Dam
* The Interstate highway system
* Long-span bridges, as exemplified by the Golden Gate Bridge
* Rail transportation, as exemplified by the Eurotunnel rail system
* Sanitary landfills and solid waste disposal
* Skyscrapers, as exemplified by the Empire State Building
* Wastewater treatment, as exemplified by the Chicago wastewater system
* Water supply and distribution, as exemplified by the California State Water Project, the subject of California Water Wars
* Water transportation, as exemplified by the Panama Canal

ASCE encourages its affiliates to support state and local public and governmental affairs activities, especially through efforts by its grassroots Key Contact program. The Society’s federal priority issues for the 110th Congress are clean water, drinking water and wastewater, math and science education, natural hazards mitigation and infrastructure security, Qualifications Based Selection for engineering services, smart growth/sustainable development and transportation infrastructure. The state priority issues are infrastructure issues, licensing, math and science education, procurement of professional services, smart growth, and transportation infrastructure.